What the Duchess Wants

by TERRI BRISBIN

  The fates of the Capets and the Plantagenets remained intertwined and connected for generations. In love or in war, theirs was a constant competition for control of lands and titles in what would become modern France.

  Though Eleanor is often demonised in the histories of the times, blamed for everything that ever went wrong in the life of Louis Capet, I cannot help but believe that history is not kind to extraordinary women who step outside the boundaries of society’s expectations of them. And I chose to see Henry as an enthusiastic young man, about to set out to pursue all of his dreams, in search of a woman who could be his equal. If he decided later that he did not want such a woman, we can’t blame her for it!

  As their marriage progressed, Henry and Eleanor produced eight (or possibly nine) children, sons and daughters who inherited various parts of their family empire or who were married off to strengthen bonds with other important and powerful families. Most readers tend to remember only two of them—Richard and John. Divided by contention and favouritism, Henry’s sons were never content and eventually saw almost all of their lands on the continent lost and only England remain under their control.

  But, at the beginning of it all, a marriage between an older woman and a younger man, a duchess and a duke, a count and a countess, began, I believe, with enthusiasm, anticipation and a bit of love. I hope you enjoyed the story of their royal wedding.

  For readers seeking more of the historical details about this time period and this particular marriage, let me suggest two of the books I use when writing in this time period: The Knight, the Lady and the Priest: The Making of Modern Marriage in Medieval France by Georges Duby, and Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings by Amy Kelly.

  Those readers familiar with my previous historical romances should recognise the man who facilitates the delicate negotiations between Henry and Eleanor—Godfroi. In The King’s Mistress, he is known as Godfrey and has indeed entered God’s service. By the time of that story, he is abbot of a large monastery in northern England and counsellor to the hero, Orrick of Silloth-on-Solway, as well as to an older but not much wiser Henry II of England. It was fun for me to go back and see how Godfroi helped in this marriage. He is, of course, a fictional character, created for these stories and not based on any real person, though I suspect there must have been someone like him who helped things along.

  Happy reading!

  Terri Brisbin

  On April 29th 2011 the world will be waiting with bated breath for Prince William and Kate Middleton to say ‘I do’!

  The bells at Westminster Abbey are chiming, the carriage is waiting and THE dress has finally been unveiled… So join Her Majesty by dusting off your best hat as you prepare for the wedding of the decade!

  To celebrate this historic event, Mills & Boon have created a special ebook collection:

  Royal Weddings

  …through the ages

  Read about the future king’s ancestors and the people who helped bring their special days together.

  7 couples, 7 marriages, 7 stories for you to enjoy!

  What the Duchess Wants by Terri Brisbin

  Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine and Henry of Anjou (future Henry II), 1152

  Lionheart’s Bride by Michelle Willingham

  King Richard and Princess Berengaria, 1191

  Prince Charming in Disguise by Bronwyn Scott

  Prince George and Caroline of Ansbach, 1704

  A Princely Dilemma by Elizabeth Rolls

  George, Prince of Wales (future Prince Regent/George IV) and Princess Caroline of Brunswick, 1795

  The Problem with Josephine by Lucy Ashford

  Napoleon and Archduchess Marie-Louise of Austria, 1810

  Princess Charlotte’s Choice by Ann Lethbridge

  Princess Charlotte and Prince Leopold, 1816

  With Victoria’s Blessing by Mary Nichols

  Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, 1840

  So if you can’t wait until the 29th for your royal wedding fix…download one now!

  Terri Brisbin is wife to one, mother of three, and dental hygienist to hundreds when not living the life of a glamorous romance author. She was born, raised, and is still living in the southern New Jersey suburbs. Terri’s love of history led her to write time-travel romances and historical romances set in Scotland and England. Readers are invited to visit her website for more information at www.terribrisbin.com, or contact her at PO Box 41, Berlin, NJ 08009-0041.

  Look for His Enemy’s Daughter

  Available now

  Available from Harlequin® Historical and

  TERRI BRISBIN

  The Dumont Bride #634

  The Norman’s Bride #696

  The Countess Bride #707

  The Christmas Visit #727

  “Love at First Step”

  The King’s Mistress #735

  The Betrothal #749

  “The Claiming of Lady Joanna”

  The Duchess’s Next Husband #751

  The Maid of Lorne #786

  Taming the Highlander #807

  The Earl’s Secret #831

  Surrender to the Highlander #886

  Possessed by the Highlander #910

  One Candlelit Christmas #919

  “Blame It On the Mistletoe”

  *The Conqueror’s Lady #954

  *The Mercenary’s Bride #1002

  *His Enemy’s Daughter #1034

  And in Harlequin Historical Undone eBook:

  *A Night for her Pleasure

  ISBN:978-1-4592-0415-7

  What the Duchess Wants

  Copyright © 2011 by Theresa S. Brisbin

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.eHarlequin.com

  *The Knights of Brittany